Gunther Werks 400R Power-to-Weight Ratio is Amazing

The Porsche community can be a cut-throat clique. There are many purists that believe that all cars that carry the Porsche crest should remain factory-stock in perpetuity.

There are those, however, that rail against that adage and build some of the coolest cars around, one being Gunther Werks. And after a stunning debutat this year’s Quail, A Motorsport Gathering, Gunther Werks has finally unveiled some hard specs for its resto-mod Porsche 993, the 400R. Hint; it’s going to be fast as hell.

The heavily altered 993-generation Porsche 911 is powered by a Rothsport Racing 4.0-liter flat-six engine that generates 431 horsepower and 320 lb-ft of torque, and will scream to an eye-watering 7,800 rpm redline.

According to Gunther Werks and Rothsport Racing, the 400R’s performance is thanks to the re-engineered flat-six that now runs individual throttle bodies all of which are controlled by a “bespoke” Motec 600 ECU.

Because of the boost in power, and the use of carbon fiber throughout the 400R’s construction giving it just a 2,700 lb curb weight, Gunther Werks claims that the 400R now has a power-to-weight ratio of 352 horsepower per ton.

To put that figure into perspective, the current generation Porsche 911 GT3 RS has a power-to-weight ratio of just 319 horsepower per ton, something Gunther Werk’s CEO Peter Nam takes great pride in as the impetus for the 400R was to build the 993-GT3 RS Porsche never did.

“There was always this missing-link in the air-cooled world for me because of this,” Nam revealed to Automobile.

“I wanted a car with the analog driving feel and that emotional connection to the driver, as opposed to modern-day cars. When you get to water-cooled cars, you start to lose that connection. You start to feel the computer between you and the car, and you don’t feel as connected,” he said.

“Of course Porsche’s modern GT3s have been able to maintain that steering feel and connection with the driver to a degree, but the 993 was the ultimate driver’s car. You talk to any Porsche enthusiast and they’ll say that the 993 was the best Porsche 911 ever built. It’s the halo of Porsches, but Porsche never built the ultimate 993. We wanted to finally build that car.”

Amjad Ali, Gunther Werks’ technical director added, “The Porsche 993 is an iconic vehicle within the storied history of Porsche. It’s the last air-cooled example of the 911 and a car that many car enthusiasts, not just Porsche enthusiasts, consider to be the pinnacle of the 911. We remained committed to incorporating modern technology into the 993 without destroying the qualities that we as enthusiasts cherished in the original platform.”